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Hashirama Senju
Hashirama Senju (千手柱間, Senju Hashirama) renowned as the God of Shinobi (忍の神, Shinobi no Kami), was a legendary ninja who hailed from the Senju clan that together with the Uchiha clan, established the first shinobi village: Konohagakure. He would later go on to become the village's First Hokage (初代火影, Shodai Hokage; Literally meaning "First or Founding Fire Shadow"). Background During the Era of the Warring States, Hashirama met Madara Uchiha at a river where the young Uchiha was skipping stones. Telling his new acquaintance that he needed to put more feeling into his attempts, Hashirama introduced himself to the young man as his rival in skipping stones and noted that at this point in time, he was leading.3 Though their clans have been in a bloody feud for ages, hired by opposing factions to counterbalance the other,4 both Hashirama and Madara knew the only way for either to survive, was to become friends rather than enemies. Soon after, while attending the burial of their brother Kawarama alongside his younger brothers Tobirama and Itama, Hashirama got into an altercation with their father over what he considered to be the pointless death of Kawarama. That moment convinced Hashirama, with Tobirama's support, that there must be peace amongst ninja. He would later discuss this concept with Madara when he met him on the riverbank once again after the death of Itama.5 The two would continue to meet like this to train and discuss prospects of the future. It was on one of these occasions that Hashirama shared his dream to create a new village in the very spot where they stood which would serve as a safe place for people to live and children to grow up to become strong shinobi. A place where shinobi would be assigned missions based on their skill set and not simply out of necessity for forces on a battlefield. Butsuma would later discover that Hashirama was meeting with Madara, having sent Tobirama to trail his elder brother. Telling Hashirama that Madara was an Uchiha who had killed several of the Senju's strongest members, he ordered his son to use the meetings to spy on Madara and if needs be, to kill him. However when the two boys met again, they warned each other that a trap had been set for the other, and as they fled, they looked back in shock as their fathers and younger brothers prepared, fully ready to combat each other.6 A young Hashirama and Madara start to do battle. When he and Madara intervened to protect their respective younger brother, Hashirama became devastated when Madara ended their friendship and became mortal enemies. As the years passed, battling Madara as they became leaders of their clans, Hashirama made many attempts to convince Madara to cease fighting. After Madara obtained his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Hashirama defeated the jaded Uchiha and approached him again to find peace between their clans. However, Madara refused to accept such a proposal unless Hashirama took either his own life, or that of his brother Tobirama.7 Choosing suicide, Hashirama asked his brother to accept the Uchiha as allies and end their feud, but was stopped by Madara, who then accepted the truce.8 The Senju and Uchiha form an alliance. Some time later, Hashirama expressed his desire for Madara to be Hokage, and even carve his head into the mountain to watch over the village. However Tobirama convinced him that the villagers would never follow Madara and that they should be given the choice on who should lead them. Hashirama reluctantly agreed.8 The villagers selected Hashirama over Madara for the title of First Hokage.9 Afterwards, Hashirama and Madara meet at the Naka Shrine where Madara fearing what would happen if Tobirama became the Second Hokage, announced his plan to make his dream become a reality.8 The battle between Hashirama and Madara. Madara would then leave the village. Soon afterwards, the village began to prosper as Hashirama and Madara dreamed it would, causing other nations to adopt the Konohagakure's shinobi nation system. Later, Madara returned, having acquired control of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, with the intent to challenge Hashirama.10 During the battle Hashirama attempted to reason with Madara to stop fighting and come to his senses, but realising that Madara would not back down, Hashirama entered Sage Mode to end the battle.11 With his augmented power, Hashirama was able to destroy Madara's Susanoo and subdued the Nine-Tails, forcing Madara to confront Hashirama directly. The battle waged on well into the night, leaving both shinobi battered and exhausted. In a final clash, Madara was the last one standing. Looking back at Madara, Hashirama tried one more time to reason with Madara, noted how far their former shared dream has come. When Madara scoffed at the remarks, Hashirama resolved to finish Madara, revealing himself behind Madara and stabbing him through the chest. As Madara realised the Hashirama he clashed with was a clone, Hashirama bitterly accepted that Madara has truly relinquished his ties to their village, and declares that he will protect it from all. Madara vowed that one day the village will become shrouded in darkness before finally collapsing.12 In the aftermath of intense battle, the defeated Madara faked his death and went into hiding,13 while Hashirama's wife, Mito Uzumaki, became the Nine-Tails' first jinchūriki by sealing the beast within herself.14 The devastation to the terrain which ensued from this battle were so great, that it created an entire land formation that would become known as the Valley of the End. During his time as Hokage, Hashirama came into possession of a scroll filled with, among other skills, various kinjutsu, which he sealed away in order to keep the techniques within it a secret.15 He also defeated Kakuzu, who had been sent to assassinate him by Takigakure.16 At some point, Hashirama gained control of several tailed beasts. He spread these beasts to other, newly-formed villages in an attempt to maintain peace and equalise the powers between the nations.17 Thinking about the future of Konoha, he also trained the young Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of his brother's team members. He lived long enough to meet his first grandchild, Tsunade, and noted that he had spoiled her a great deal, even going as far as to teach her how to gamble.18 Hashirama died some time after the founding of Konoha in one of the many wars that were raging during this revolutionary era, but not before passing on the title of Hokage to Tobirama.19 Personality Hashirama was shown to be a kind and caring person with a deep sense of loyalty, great charisma, and skill in negotiation. He saw the people of Konoha as a part of his own family, and his legacy took a firm root in the village. He was also shown to be a very wise and insightful man, as he passed on great teachings to Hiruzen. It was he who first believed that all Konoha shinobi should show true loyalty to each other, and that a Kage must be willing to put his life on the line for his village to set an example for all others. This belief of his is known as the "Will of Fire". Hashirama also seemed to have a sense of honour regarding his opponents and, despite their rivalry, possessed great respect for Madara Uchiha, and considered him a friend, even a brother. Hashirama even referred Madara as a "long-time friend" when expressing joyous curiosity about what Madara has been up to all this time.20 When they were kids, Hashirama and Madara cared about each other so much that they purposely leaked information to each other about a trap that their respective clans laid out. He went on to offer a truce after already defeating the Uchiha and forbade Tobirama from finishing Madara, even asking what would it take for Madara to trust him again. Due to the chaotic era he underwent as a child, Hashirama disagreed on children being sent to the battlefield and cultivated the ideals of a shinobi Academy and a shinobi organisational system in order to avoid having children as meaningless war casualties.21 Hashirama after being silenced by his younger brother. Hashirama was an idealist by nature and looked towards the prospect of peace and a time where children would not be sent to war because of it.22 He always gave people the benefit of the doubt witnessed when he proposed a truce with the Uchiha, considering them allies immediately, even when Madara attacked the village, Hashirama did not allow this to colour his view of the other Uchiha in the village even still considered Madara a brother. This put him in odds with his brother, who was more of a realist and was still wary of the Uchiha, seeing them as a threat to Konoha because of their unpredictable emotional states, despite the fact that Hashirama told his brother to not discriminate against the Uchiha countless times.23 This was due to the fact that in Hashirama's vision for the creation of the village system, he believed that this would naturally break down the mentality that persons had to look out for their clans.24 Hashirama was also very modest, and is by no means above praising other shinobi as he lauded Itachi Uchiha when told of his feats by Sasuke, and claimed Itachi to be a better shinobi than himself.25 Hashirama laughs as he remembers spoiling Tsunade. Contrasting somewhat with the expectations people had built up for the man known as the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived,26 Hashirama is a quite jovial, laid-back, upbeat, carefree and exuberant goof with an interest in gambling. This was displayed after he was reincarnated a second time with his personality left intact as he was barely able to contain his excitement upon learning that there was a Fourth Hokage, taking it as a sign of his village's longevity,27 and later when he actually saw the village once again.28 He was later shocked, as well as worried when he learned that Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage due to the fact he spoiled her as a child, even having taught her how to gamble.18 The dynamics between him and his brother Tobirama are also quite intense and inverted, as Hashirama usually succumbed to his more authoritative younger brother's orders, as well as being reprimanded often by Tobirama for being too soft.29 While in the same breath when necessary, he was capable of being overbearing and not above using force to make his decision clear, as seen when he forcefully reprimand Tobirama to stop him from attacking Sasuke and his group,30 and some time before to stop him from killing Madara.31 Hashirama is also shown to be very considerate and caring as he chose to delay his departure to the battlefield to tell Sasuke the truth he requested, noting that their actions on the battlefield would mean nothing if another Madara would just appear in the world.32 He was also willing to sacrifice himself everything for the sake of the village, going as far as offering Madara the title Hokage and his own life to ensure peace between them. Hashirama was also prone to sulking whenever he was shouted at, accosted, or didn't agree with something. However, he would not sulk for long and would in an instant, return in an instant to his regular, jovial and laid-back self.33 One such instance was when he just met Madara Uchiha and the two were skipping rocks. After Madara accosted Hashirama, he began to sulk and told Madara that to atone for it, he would allow Madara to skip him across the river, but then sneered and noted that he prayed that he would make it across.34 Appearance Hashirama was a tall man with tanned skin, dark eyes and waist-length black hair typically styled in a centre-parted fringe that framed his face, although sometimes he wore it combed-back with two single locks framing his face instead. In most cases, his attire took the form of the standard shinobi dress of his era, consisting of dark red traditional armour — similar to that of samurai — worn over a simple black suit. This armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body, in particular: chest, shoulders, thighs and forearms. Each collar of his shoulder guards bore the Senju symbol emblazoned on them. This clothing was accompanied by sandals and his village's forehead protector, after its formation. He often time also carried either a single large scroll strapped to his back or several large ones into battle. While in the village, Hashirama tended to wear the traditional Kage attire consisting of the customary hat and haori over a full-length gown, along with a simple red headband. Otherwise, he wore a light-brown, short-sleeved, kimono shirt with mesh armour underneath, held closed by a red sash, and navy blue pants. As a child, Hashirama's hair was shoulder-length and was more bowl-cut in style, hanging around his face. He wore a light-coloured attire with a short jacket, a light scarf around his neck, and a dark-coloured sash around his waist.35 Abilites Hashirama is reputed as the most powerful shinobi of his era, his might being so vast that it earned him the title of "God of Shinobi",2 and having been called the strongest shinobi even by his enemy Madara Uchiha who, on countless occasions admitted his inferiority to the legend.3637 His strength was so greatly respected by the shinobi world that Madara himself claimed Hashirama was the one person whom he most admired and detested,38 as well as the only person capable of stopping him,39 something that dated even back to their childhood.40 Madara mentioned that fighting all five current Kage was trivial compared to his battle with Hashirama, and that with only one of them present, the landscape would not change as drastically — a reference to the battle between the two that created an entire valley.41 Kabuto Yakushi claimed that Hashirama's might was so vast, that there aren't any living shinobi in the current era that could match his level of power. It was such that many considered his prowess to be a mere fairy tale much like the existence of the Sage of the Six Paths.42 The most common example was his ability to not only fight on equal footing with Madara despite the latter possessing an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and having control of the Nine-Tails, but also survive the battle and ultimately achieve victory against his former comrade and adversary. Stamina and Life Force As a Senju, Hashirama inherited an extraordinary life force, as well as physical energy. Likewise, his chakra was also shown to be remarkably strong; a testament to its fortitude was witnessed through Hashirama's use of his chakra alone to deter his brother from attacking, which almost caused the Naka Shrine to collapse. He was also able to resist the control of Orochimaru's Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation with relative ease, which greatly worried the Sannin.43 His chakra levels also made him suitable to learn senjutsu and enter Sage Mode.